Well tubing hanger



June 4, 1935. G. c. IMLER ET AL 2,003,446

WELL TUBING HANGER Filed Nov. 15, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I.

I N YEN TORS G. C. IMLER D. .HHUSE Br A TTOR NEYS June 4, 1935. G. c.IMLER ET AL 2,003,445

WELL TUBING HANGER Filed Nov. 15, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS G. C IMLER D. M. HAUSE ATTORNEYS I Patented June 4, 1935 2,003,446

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WELL TUBING HANGER Grover C. Imler andDaniel M. Hause, Seminole, kla., assignors of one-third to Robert L.Imler, Tulsa, Okla.

Application November 15, 1934, Serial No. 753,135

Claims. (Cl. 285-22) This invention relates to devices of the kind InFigure 1 of the drawings A designates the commonly referred to as welltubing hangers, casing of a high pressure well, B designates the thatare used for sustaining a well tubing in ophead that is attached to theupper end of said eratlve position inside of a well casing. casing, Cdesignates the usual lateral outlets or 5 One object of our invention isto provide a well flow lines in the sides of said head, D designates 5tubing hanger that is safer than the conventhe well tubing, E designatesour improved tional well tubing hangers now in general use, hanger,which is used to support the tubing in inasmuch as it is of such designor construction operative position inside of the casing and susthat anextensively high temperature to which tain the weight of said tubing, Fdesignates the lit the tubing and/or hanger may be subjected, in usuallead line extending from the upper end of the event of a fire, will notresult in leakage the hanger, and y designates the floor of the aroundthe tubing or hanger and will not result derrick house. in the tubingbecoming detached from the hang- The hanger E consists of an elongatedmetal er and dropping into the well, even though the member ofsubstantially tubular form in general 3;", tubing is excessively heavyand is of many thououtline provided intermediate its upper and lowersand feet in length. ends with a horizontally-disposed shoulder orAnother object is to provide a well tubing supporting surface I that isadapted to rest upon hanger which is of such design or construction thecasing head or on a part sustained by the that when it is in operativeposition there are casing head. In Figure 1 the hanger E isillusco-acting metal portions on the tubing and trated as beingsupported by an adapter collar 20 hanger, and co-acting portions on thehanger or ring F which fits inside of and is supported and casing heador other part on which the by the casing head 3. The upper end portionhanger rests, that form gas and liquid-tight of the casing head iscounterbored, so as to form joints which will not be injuriouslyaffected by a shoulder or supporting surface 2 on which the fir e yOvercoming an inherent defect of adapter ring F rests, and an annularretaining 25 conventional well tubing hangers. ring G is screwed intothe upper end of the cas- And still another object of our invention isto jng h so as t exert downward t t on the provide a Well tubing hanger,which, n d n adapter ring and hold it in such a manner that t having thedesirable Characteristics above it cannot blow out of the casing head orbecome mentioned, is in p to Construct; is Capaaccidentally displaced,due to pressure in the ble of being installed and removed easily andspace between the casing A and tubing D of the with little danger to theworkmen; and is of such we11 The tubing D is connected to the hangerdesign that the upper end of the i g is E by two separate and distinctmeans consisting pletely housed the hanger and ngldly of, first, a setof internal threads a on the hanger 5 nected with same in such a mannerthat there and coaching external threads on the tubing 30 is 9possibility of the 9 becoming bent,by and second, frictional grippingdevices or fricfalling ob ects 1n the derrick house or becoming tionslips b carried by the hanger E and gg gggg g gfgggg fig g i gg z figranged to surround the well tubing and'fric- 40 of the well. Otherobjects and desirable fea- 22 35 zgigggg g f g same g 4 tures of ourinvention will be hereinafter pointa an a on e anger at} tubing beingpreferably tapered. As shown 1n r igl ire 1 of the drawings is avertical longi- Figure thgmtemal'threads. a on the hanger tudinalsectional view, illustrating our improved are winged m h upper portlon.of Same above 5 tubing hanger installed in Operative position in thehorizontally-disposed supporting surface I of a high pressure well thehanger, and the frictional grippmg'devices b Figure 2 is a persl'jectiveView of the frictional are arranged far enough below said screw threadshe arrier that combines a to engage or grip the usual thickened or upsetgnppmg dances and t 0 portion a: of the tubing D, rather than theporsaid devices with the hanger. Figure 3 is a perspective View of oneof said tlon of the side wall of the tubing located immegripping devicesdetached fr th arri and diately below said thickened or upset portion:r,

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional it being preferab e to a athe frictional pview illustrating our improved tubing hanger inpingdevices in this manner so as to eliminate stalled in operative positionin a low pressure the possibility of said gripping devices mutilatwell.ing the well tubing and causing it to bulge in- 5 wardly, as oftenhappens with well tubing hangers of conventional design.

The frictional gripping devices I; are preferably formed by a pluralityof segmental-shaped jaws that embrace the well tubing, and said grippingdevices are supported by a. ring-shaped carrier H which is screwedupwardly into a reduced tubular portion 3 at the lower end of the hangerE. This reduced tubular portion 3 of the hanger fits inside of theadapted ring F, and is provided with external screw threads that co-actwith internal screw threads c on the adapter ring to rigidly connect thehanger and adapter ring together. In order to eliminate the possibilityof the tubing D working loose, the ring carrier H that supports thefrictional gripping devices b is preferably joined to the hanger byco-acting screw threads d and d on said parts that extend in theopposite direction to the co-acting screw threads on the tubing and onthe hanger. For example, if the threads a and a are right hand threads,the threads 11 and (1' will be left hand threads. Consequently, when thehanger is in use, the carrier ring H, which turns oppositely to the welltubing, forms a very eflicient locking means for the tubing thatprevents it from turning in a direction to work loose. The locking ringor carrier H is of such diameter that it will pass freely over thetubing, and while various methods may be employed to combine thegripping devices I; with said carrier, we prefer to construct said partsin such a way that they can be easily disassembled for inspection,repair or replacement of the gripping devices, but in the operation ofscrewing the carrier H upwardly into the head E, there is no possibilityof the gripping devices b becoming accidentally displaced and droppinginto the well. As shown in Figure 1, the gripping devices I) restdirectly upon the top edge of the carrier H, and are provided at theirlower ends with depending, substantially Lshaped tangs 4 that fit in ahorizontally-disposed groove 5 formed in the inner face or side of thecenter bore of the carrier. The gripping devices I) are so proportionedthat when they are arranged with their ends in contact, or approximatecontact with each other, as shown in Figure 2, they will form a ring ofsuificient diameter to surround the tubing and snugly bear against theexterior of same, said ring being capable of being enlarged (by slightlyspreading or separating the gripping devices b) so as to permit thecarrier H with the gripping devices I) thereon to be moved downwardlyover the well tubing preparatory to screwing the hanger onto thethreaded upper end portion of the tubing. After the carrier with theassembled gripping devices has been introduced onto the tubing, thegripping devices are free to move radially with respect to the tubing,but it is impossible for said gripping devices to move inwardly farenough to withdraw the tangs 4 of same from the annular groove 5 in thecarrier H. Hence, it is impossible for the frictional gripping devicesto become disassembled from the carrier and drop into the well in theoperation of screwing the carrier upwardly into the hanger. However,when the carrier H is disassociated from the hanger, it is possible toeasily disassemble the gripping devices I) from the carrier by simplymoving one of the gripping devices inwardly towards the center axis ofthe carrier, sufiiciently to withdraw the tang 4 of same from the groove5 in the carrier. In assembling the parts of the structure, the ringcarrier H, with the gripping devices mounted thereon, is slippeddownwardly over the well tubing prior to connecting the hanger to thetubing, said carrier being temporarily sustained or held in position bytongs or any other suitable means. Subsequently, after the hanger E hasbeen screwed onto the upper end of the well tubing, the ring carrier His screwed upwardly into the hanger, so as to move the frictionalgripping devices b into engagement with the thickened portion of thewell tubing and also effectively lock the tubing in the internallythreaded portion of the hanger. The bore or internal space in the hangerin which the gripping devices b are positioned, may either be providedwith a straight side wall, or with a tapered side wall that co-acts withthe gripping devices to force them inwardly, radially, into snugengagement with the exterior of the well tubing. One desirable featureor characteristic of the well tubing hanger shown in Figure 1 is that itdoes not depend for its successful operation on the use of non-metallicpacking material which is liable to flatten out or become injuriouslyaffected in the event the well catches on fire. Instead of dependingupon such non-metallic packing material to produce tight joints betweenthe tubing and the hanger and between the hanger and the casing head orother part on which the hanger is supported, we screw the well tubinginto the hanger, as previously explained, and we also provide the hangerwith an external beveled sealing surface 6 that seats tightly against acoacting beveled sealing surfacefi on the adapter ring F. Similarly, weprovide said adapter ring with an external beveled sealing surface Ithat coacts with a beveled sealing surface l on the casing head B.Obviously, our broad idea contemplates mounting the hanger E eitherdirectly on the easing head, or on an adapter or equivalent elementpositioned inside of the casing head, but in practice we prefer to screwthe hanger into an adapter ring which rests upon the casing head, and inthe case of a high pressure well, we clamp said parts in position by aretaining ring G, which, upon being screwed downwardly into the casinghead, forces the sealing surface 1 on the adapter ring into tightengagement with the co-acting sealing surface l on the casing head andalso forces the sealing surface 6 on the hanger into tight engagementwith the co-acting sealing surface l5 on the adapter ring, the retainingring G being so constructed that it laps over a shoulder orlaterally-projecting part at the lower end of the hanger E. By using anadapter ring F we are able to employ one size hanger, or a standardhanger, for easing heads of various sizes, simply by furnishing the userwith a plurality of adapter rings F, each of which is designed for usewith a different sized casing head. If desired, the portion of theadapter ring F surrounded by the casing head above the co-acting sealingsurfaces 1 and 'l on said parts, and the portion of the hangersurrounded by the undercut part of the retaining ring G, may each beprovided with an annular groove, that is adapted to be filled with anykind of a suitable fire-proof packing material, or packing device, showndiagrammatically in Figure 1 and designated by the reference character8, so as to further reduce the possibility of leakage of gas from thespace between the well casing and well tubing, said packing groovesbeing of such location or arrangement that the packing material in sameis not subjected to the weight of the well tubing, and hence, is notliable to flatten out or become injuriously affected in the event thewell catches on fire.

A well tubing hanger of the construction above described is superior toand an improvement upon well tubing hangers of conventionalconstruction, in that the tubing and hanger remain in rigid relationshipand are joined together in such a way that the load or weight of thetubing is taken up or supported by co-acting screw threads on the tubingand hanger, and by frictional gripping devices on the hanger that actupon the thickened or upset portion of the tubing. It is also animprovement upon hangers of conventional construction, in that it is ofsuch design that a fire in the well will not result in the escape ofgases or flame through the joints between the hanger and the parts withwhich it is associated. This is because ground joints or metal sealingelements are relied upon to produce tight joints between the hanger Eand the casing head or other interposed part that sustains the weight orload which the well tubing imposes upon the hanger. Accordingly, ourimproved hanger not only greatly reduces the fire hazard of oil wells,but it effectively eliminates the possibility of the tubing breakingaway from the hanger and dropping into the well, as so often occurs withconventional tubing hangers that rely upon friction slips to sustain theload of the well tubing and rely upon inflammable packing material,positioned under the bearing surface of the hanger and between theexterior of the tubing and the interior of the hanger, to maintain tightjointsbetween said parts. Our improved hanger has the added advantagesof being inexpensive to construct; easy to install; of such design thatthe workmen are not exposed to danger in the operation of installing orremoving the hanger; of such construction that the frictional grippingdevices I) are easily removable for inspection, repair or replacement,but still are not liable to drop into the well during the operation ofscrewing the carrier H upwardly into the hanger; of such constructionthat the well tubing is com pletely housed and not liable to be injuredby falling objects in the derrick house; of such construction that thetubing is rigidly connected to the hanger, and the hanger, in turn, isrigidly connected to the adapter ring, thus eliminating any wobblingaction or relative movement between said parts; and is of suchconstruction that the frictional gripping devices are not liable tocause the tubing to bulge inwardly, and thus interiere with theoperation of the pumping equipment of the well.

In Figure 4 of the drawings we have illustrated our invention embodiedin a tubing hanger for a low pressure well. Said hanger comprises partsof practically the same kind and arrangement illustrated in Figure 1,with the exception that the adapter ring 1" is of slightly diiferentdesign. andisintendedtosimplyrestuponasupportingsurfacelonthecasingheadandberetainedin operative position thereon bygravity. The well tubingDisconnectedtothehangerEinthe manner and by themeans previously described and designated by corresponding referencecharacters, and co-acting metallic sealing surfaces, similar to thosepreviously described, are employed to produce and maintain tight jointsbetween the hanger E and the casing head B or other interposed part,such as the adapter 1'', that sustains the weight of the hanger and thetubing attached tosame. Inthestructureshowninl'lgureia nipple or pieceof tubing 1"" is screwed into the upper end of the hanger so as to carrythe conventional pumping T O to which is attached a lead line I llthrough which the oil is conductedto storage, and the casing head B hasa lateral gas line H attached to same. In other respects the well tubingstructure shown in Figure 4 is similar to and functions like thatillustrated in Figure 1.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A supporting structure for well tubing, comprising a hanger providedwith internal screw threads that are adapted to co-act with externalscrew threads on the tubing, a ring-shaped carrier adapted'to be screwedupwardly into the lower end of the hanger and of such diameter as topass freely over the tubing prior to connecting the tubing to thehanger, and a plurality of frictional gripping devices on the carrieradapted to engage the tubing and provided with parts thatare interlockedwith the carrier in such a way as to permit slight relative movementbetween said gripping devices during the operation of screwing thecarrier up into the hanger.

2. A supporting structure for well tubing, comprising a hanger providedwith an internal screw thread into which the well tubing isscrewed, aremovable locking ring connected to the hanger by a thread of oppositepitch to the thread on the tubing, and frictional gripping devicesarranged in engagement with the exterior of the tubing and provided withtangs positioned in a groove in said locking ring.

3. A supporting structure for well tubing,comprising a hanger providedwith an internallythreaded portion into which the well tubing isscrewed, a casing head, an adapter ring'on the casing head that sustainsthe weight of the hanger and the tubing suspended from same, frictionalgripping devices arranged in engagement with the exterior of the welltubing, a supporting means for said frictional gripp ng devices screwedinto the hanger, and coacting sealing surfaces provided on the casinghead and adapter ring and on the adapter ring and hanger.

4. A supporting structure for well tubing, comprising a hanger providedwith internal screw threads that are adapted to be engaged by externalscrew threads on the well tubing, a casing head, an adapter ring thatsupports said hanger and rests upon ashoulder on the casing head, meansfor clamping said parts together, a frietional gripping means on thehanger arranged to engage the exterior of the tubing below the threadedconnection between the tubing and hanger, and a metallic sealing meansfor maintaining l tiointsbetweenthecasingheadand adapter ring andbetween the adapter ring and hanger.

5. A supporting structure for well tubing, comprising a hanger providedwith internal screw threads, that are adapted to be engaged by externalscrew threads on the well tubing, a casing head, an adapter ring thatsupports said hanger and rests upon a shoulder on the casing head, meansfor clamping said parts together, a frictional gripping means on thehanger arranged to engage the exterior of the tubing below the threadedconnection between the tubing and hanger, coacting metallic sealingsurfaces on the hanger adapter ring and casing head, and

grooves in the exterior of the hanger and adapter ring for receivingauxiliary sealing devices.

GROVER C. IMLER. DANEL M. HAUBI.

